Video Transcript for Shocker Hitch Air Ball Mount Feature Review

Hi, everybody. Andy here with etrailer.com. And today we're taking a look at this Shocker Air Receiver Hitch with this Raise Ball Mount and 2 5/16 inch ball. This is going to work with a 2 1/2 inch hitch receiver, and has a gross towing capacity of 12,000 pounds. This shock absorbing receiver hitch provides superior comfort while towing by reducing road shock and chucking using airbag and bumper stop technologies. This hitch features an industrial strength airbag as you can see here, and these cushioned bump stops that they have been chucking and road shock.

Now this hooks your trailer to your tow vehicle with this included raised ball mount and 2 5/16 inch ball. Also included are these easy-to-remove pins, and you have two of them here to secure your attachment. And then we have these large rings that are easy to grasp. I can fit up to four of my fingers in each of these rings. By the way, these rings do fold in either direction to move out of your way, if you so desire.

And also these large safety clips, that are gonna be very easy to remove and replace when you're adjusting your ball mount. Let me give you just a brief demonstration of how easy it is to adjust. I have this at the maximum rise of two inches right now, and I'm gonna go ahead and remove my pins, and move it from the maximum rise to the the maximum drop of two inches. So the maximum rise is two inches and the maximum drop is two inches. And so again, very easy to make that adjustment quickly.

We're gonna go ahead and replace my clips. And, we are good to go. Now, the inside width of this channel is 3 3/4 inches. And the distance between these vertical adjustment holes is 1 inch in between each of those holes. Now, speaking of these vertical adjustment holes, this is a deep frame hitch, easily identified by having eight of these vertical adjustment holes for this ball Mount adjustment.

This has been designed to work with 2015-2019 GM Chevrolet and the 2017 and newer Ford, 3/4 ton and larger that have the extra steel reinforcement that hangs down below the underside of the receiver too. So for those vehicles, this spacer block would not be necessary. However, when using this deep frame hitch on vehicles such as the Dodge, Ram, or older GM and Ford trucks with a 2 1/2 inch hitch receiver tube, you would have to install this spacer block. And the way that you would install this, is removing these top bolts here that retain the airbag. Included is this Allen wrench that you can use to easily remove these bolts. And once those bolts are removed, you would just install this spacer and then replace the bolts tightening them down with this Allen wrench. And what this will do, is keep the airbag at its proper height. So this spacer and Allen wrench will be included with this hitch if you have a vehicle that needs it. Now, this is also gonna be compatible with a shocker hitch combination ball, the 2 inch ball, the sway bar mount, the drop mount, the standard ball mount, the clevis mount, the pintle hook, the cushion drawbar and standard drawbar. All of those attachments are sold separately, but you can find them under the related products section of this product page. Now this air hitch works like a teeter-totter with the airbag on one end, and your trailer coupler on the other end. And as your trailer exerts force downward, the unit pivots, and the airbag absorbs the energy. When the trailer jerks backward or pushes forward, the two cushioned bump stops will reduce the force for a smoother ride. Now, this airbag is easily adjustable. For heavier loads, you would just use this air valve here with this cap, just remove the cap, and you would add more air for heavier loads, and then just let some air out for lighter loads. Now, to determine the correct amount of air to use, you would simply hook your trailer up to your shocker hitch, then load the trailer the way you are going to tow it, and then you would add air until these bump stops begin to compress. Once they begin to compress, then you should have the right amount of air in your airbag for your load, and you're ready to go. Another great feature is this included grease zerk fitting that is going to make maintenance of this pivot point very easy and simple by adding grease as needed. Now, this is a grade 50 steel plate construction, a cold rolled steel shank. It's gonna provide maximum durability. Again, the gross towing weight is 12,000 pounds, the tongue weight is 1,200 pounds. It is shot blasted and powder coated to prevent rust. The mount here is shot blasted and powder-coated, but the ball is zinc plated to prevent that rust. Again, this is going to fit, 2 1/2 inch trailer hitch receivers. The hitch pin hole diameter is 5/8 of an inch. This does not have a pin and clip to secure it to your hitch receiver on the back of your vehicle. So that would be a separate purchase if you don't have that kind of pin and clip. However, I would recommend taking a look at the infinite rule locking pins for shocker hitch ball mounts for 2 inch and 2 1/2 inch hitches. You will get three of those locking pins. One pin will lock and secure your shocker hitch to your hitch receiver on the back of your vehicle. And then the other two locking pins will replace these pins to lock and secure your attachment to your shocker hitch. It's a great way to secure your investment. You can find those pins on our website using item number IR39FR. Speaking of these hitch pin holes, the distance from the first hitch pin hole to the center of our ball, is going to be 9 1/2 inches. And from the second hitch pin hole to the center of our ball is gonna be 10 1/2 inches. The distance below our receiver tube is 5 inches from the bottom of that receiver tube. And just some additional installation tips, this requires a minimum of 7 inches of clearance from the center of the hitch pin hole to the rear-most portion of your tow vehicle. The receiver opening should be flush with the bumper or protruding from the rear of the vehicle for best fit. And finally, a 2 inch shocker air receiver will not fit a 2 1/2 inch hitch, even with a reducer sleeve as trucks with a 2 1/2 inch hitch have deeper frames. A 2 1/2 inch shocker air receiver as we have here, will fit a 3 inch hitch with a reducer sleeve. Well, that's gonna conclude our look today. I hope it was helpful for you. Again, my name is Andy. Thank you for joining me..